Switzerland gives Iraq's Takriti three-week grace period to stay or leave

Spokeswoman for the Switzerland government on Tuesday said that Barazan al-Takriti, the half-brother of the Iraqi president has been given a three-week period to decide either to stay in Switzerland or leave it.

Al-Takriti who was formerly Iraq's ambassador to the UN at Geneva before being summoned to Baghdad together with another 17 ambassadors, announced on Monday that he intends to stay in Switzerland for "family reasons." He denied having decided not to return to Iraq.

The UN office in Geneva received a message from Takriti on August 5 in which he said he is no longer an ambassador for his country, a post he assumed in 1989. Until now, the Swiss Foreign Ministry refrained to announce whether Takriti would acquire residency.